Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives

Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives is a 501(c) non-profit organization of AIDS denialists (people who deny that HIV is the cause of AIDS). The organization's stated mission is to "present information that raises questions about the accuracy of HIV tests, the safety and effectiveness of AIDS drug treatments, and the validity of most common assumptions about HIV and AIDS." [http://www.aliveandwell.org/ Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives official Web page] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] The organization's founder, Christine Maggiore, estimated in 2005 that the organization had assisted about 50 HIV-positive mothers in plotting legal strategies to avoid having their children tested or treated for HIV. [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-me-eliza24sep24,0,4062292.story A Mother's Denial, A Daughter's Death] , L.A. Times series on Eliza Jane Scovill's death, accessed 8 Sept 2006.]

Founding

Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives was founded in 1995 by Christine Maggiore, who had tested HIV-positive in 1992. Although Maggiore was initially active in the AIDS community, providing AIDS and HIV education through AIDS Project Los Angeles, she later came to question her diagnosis. Ultimately, she came to believe that HIV was not the cause of AIDS, and formed Alive & Well to expound her views.

Maggiore became a controversial figure following the death of her 3-year-old daughter, Eliza Jane Scovill. Eliza Jane was never tested for HIV. She died on May 16 2005 after 3 weeks of illness; the Los Angeles County coroner determined that she had died of Pneumocystis pneumonia in the setting of advanced AIDS. [http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/comment/maggiorecoroner.pdf Autopsy report on Eliza Jane Scovill] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.]

Maggiore continues to believe that Eliza Jane did not have AIDS, and that her death was due to an allergic reaction to amoxicillin. [http://www.justiceforej.com Justice for E.J., website maintained by Christine Maggiore] arguing that Eliza Jane Scovill did not die of AIDS, accessed 8 Sept 2006.] Maggiore has also alleged incompetence, political bias, and conspiracy on the part of the L.A. County coroner. [ [http://www.justiceforej.com/ribeflipflops.html Christine Maggiore's allegations regarding the L.A. County coroner, Dr. James Ribe] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] Dr. Mohammed Al-Bayati, a board member of Alive & Well and a veterinary toxicologist, issued his own report arguing that a drug reaction, not AIDS, was responsible for Eliza Jane's death. [http://www.justiceforej.com/Al-BayatiReport.pdf Dr. Mohammed Al-Bayati's report on the cause of Eliza Jane Scovill's death] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] Eliza Jane's death was the subject of reports by ABC Primetime Live [http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/print?id=1386737 ABC News Primetime Live Report on the death of Eliza Jane Scovill] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] and the Los Angeles Times; several independent medical experts contacted by these programs agreed unequivocally that Eliza Jane had died of complications of AIDS.

Members

The advisory board of Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives includes many prominent AIDS denialists, such as Harvey Bialy, Peter Duesberg, Eleni Eleopulos, and David Rasnick.

Advocacy

In spite of extensive scientific evidence to the contrary, [ [http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/focuson/hiv/resources/ National Institute of Health fact sheet on HIV and AIDS] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] [ [http://www.sciencemag.org/feature/data/cohen/cohen.dtl Series of articles from the journal "Science" examining AIDS dissident claims] , accessed 8 Sept 2006.] Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives promotes the viewpoint that HIV is not the cause of AIDS. The organization also espouses the viewpoints that:
* HIV tests are inaccurate.
* AIDS is not a major problem in Africa.
* Pregnant women should not take antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV transmission to their children.
* The syndrome of AIDS in fact results from malnutrition, mental stress, AZT, recreational drug use among gay men, or other causes.
* The mainstream scientific community's efforts to promote AIDS awareness and develop effective treatments are examples of fearmongering and are compromised by ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives encourages the use of unproven alternative therapies for HIV-positive people in place of proven mainstream treatments. Examples of treatments advanced by Alive & Well as substitutes for antiretroviral therapy include herbal and nutritional therapy, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, therapeutic enemas, acupuncture, and "imagery".

Scientists and AIDS activists have decried the activities of Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives and other AIDS denialist organizations, arguing that by persuading people to forgo proven treatments they are causing unnecessary and preventable deaths. Speaking at the XVI International AIDS Conference, leading HIV/AIDS researcher John Moore stated:

Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives encourages people to "get involved" by passing out AIDS denialist literature, donating copies of Christine Maggiore's book "What If Everything You Knew About AIDS Was Wrong?", contacting radio and television shows, writing to newspapers and magazines, and starting their own discussion groups.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.aliveandwell.org Alive & Well AIDS Alternatives homepage]